Why Are Most Christians 'Pelagians'?

Dr. Leighton Flowers, Director of Evangelism and Apologetics for Texas Baptists, reads from the late RC Sproul's commentary on Romans 9 about his reasoning for #pelagianism in the church.

**Spoiler Alert**

On #Calvinism you can't appeal to man's free will being the culprit. 😉

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[meanman]

Never stop fighting to point out the errors of Calvinism sir! And thank you for the work you have done.

[HosannaInExcelsis]

Calvinism is quite odd. From a philosophical standpoint it affirms that the actions of men are secondary causes, but when men do meritorious things they give only the glory to God (which I think is correct). But when it comes to sinful actions, they only blame men, which doesn't make sense since those actions are causally determined by God. That's a dilemma that they try to scape from, but they can't do it in a coherent way.
St Augustine, the Church Father that articulated the condemnation against Pelagianism believed that our good works were meritorious after Justification (De fide et operibus, chapter 14). This is very ironic because Calvinist nowadays will consider that position to be pelagian. That means that the early Church was basically pelagian, and we came to realize that after Luther and Calvin.
I hope they are able to see how odd is their position.

[IAmisMaster]

Most Christians are not pelagians, that is a lie propogated by Calvinists and Free Gracers. By their definition, St. Augustine, the most prominent defender against Pelagius, was a pelagian or semi-pelagian. Read Augustine's "The Spirit and the Law" and "On Faith and Works" and you realize how far contemporary Protestantism, both Calvinist and otherwise, has lost the plot on the relationship between faith and works. Only a few like John Wesley, Norman Shepherd, Greg Bahnsen, Andrew Sandlin, Matthew Bates, etc. are recovering true biblical understanding of faith and works.

"God 'will repay each person according to what they have done.' To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." - Romans 2:6-11 (NIV)

[ellisseven]

Calvinists cannot see the forest for the trees. Most people believe in the freewill of man because it is clearly taught in Scripture!

[ProclaimeroftheGospelofJesus]

I always had a issue in those that outwardly proclaim they put trust in a mans interpretation of the Bible, and yet disagree in many aspects, but still hold to a doctrine called calvinist.

I wanted nothing to do with mans interpretation, i trusted in the anointing we received from the beginning to teach us all truth.

[dw]

*THE SUPER APOSTLE AND HIS SUPER CHRISTIAN FOLLOWERS*

John Calvin is - for all intents and purposes - a SUPER Apostle.
Which makes his followers - for all intents and purposes - SUPER Christians.

And that becomes easily observable here where we see R.C. Sproul comparing the Calvinist Christian to the Non-Calvinist Christian.

Thus - for all intents and purposes - R. C. Sproul's conception - is that the Non-Calvinist Christian is an INFERIOR believer.
Which makes the Calvinist believer SUPERIOR in comparison.

Thus we have a SUPER Apostle and those who follow him are - for all intents and purposes - SUPER Christians.

Now - no Calvinist is going to acknowledge that for obvious reasons.
So we should fully expect them to strongly disagree - and for obvious reasons.

[rohandanielisaac]

This channel SLAPS Calvinists :D
God bless you Mr Leighton!

[Richardcontramundum]

Cognitive dissonance is the only explanation for things to like this.

To say 'people are a certain way' but then act as though they are that way apart from the direct cause of God from the beginning of time is silly. It's a both A and NOT A fallacy. They both cannot be true.

Either God causes most people to to not CALVINIST much less be saved, or he gives a level of responsibility and freedom for people to use the intellect and reason and most of all scriptures to embrace or reject their creator

[m]

Leighton, I am not Baptist but I am extremely grateful for your discussions on Calvinism--especially on the topic of free will.

I am surrounded by 5, 4, 3 point Calvinists but for the life of me I cannot understand how logically someone can take only parts of TULIP. It seems to me that to hold any of the five points then one would have to hold all 5. It seems to logically be an all or nothing. If I am missing something here please help me understand what it is that I am missing.

Also, thanks for this short take. I never made the connection that to be anything other than Calvinist is to be Pelagian/Semi-Pelagian.

[jasonyoung]

I think most Calvinists haven’t worked out the tension and dissonance between their acquiescence to TULIP—supposedly a system that best interprets Scripture (a gross misunderstanding of Romans and a mishandling of Ephesians 2)—and the fundamental axiom of their system, viz: determinism. There is still some residual sense in TULIP per se; what it mangles up is grace and God’s goodness, but nevertheless other Scriptures still make sense if TULIP were the only problem in Calvinism. When you add its axiomatic determinism, the whole system makes a mockery of both grace and the goodness of God.

Many Calvinists can live with this dissonance because they haven’t worked out the said implication. Hence, they talk a certain way whilst supposedly believing a certain way. Even the most basic level of logic shows how nonsensical and contradictory the Calvinistic system is. Unfortunately when you show them, they retort that you don’t understand Calvinism, when in fact they are the ones who don’t understand Calvinism. If they did, they’d stop being Calvinists. It is the shock of the their system’s implication that engenders their standard retort.

[fumples]

Hi, Orthodox Christian here, in the orthodox church there was a heresy called monothelitism/Monoenergism and it's basically rhe same thing so Calvin's teachings are actually heretical in the orthodox church, this stuff is damnable

[R.L.KRANESCHRADTT]

I do not believe that God decreeing someone to believe a lie, especially about Himself, what Christ did, and for whom he did it, would be something to which God would subject his own 'beloved children'. Scriptures referencing God sending lies, confusion, and delusions are always characterized to punish the rebellious or reprobate. Consequently, this brings into question the 'live and let' live majority Calvinist position in even acknowledging non-Calvinists can be saved, even 'barely' as Sproul remarked. And it rather puts the shine on the elusive 'hyper' Calvinist name tag most Calvinists desperately try to avoid. If Calvinism is true, it is God alone who has sent this lie and caused all non-Calvinist Christians to believe it place of "Calvinist truth".... that is a whole bunch of Evanescent Grace if you ask me.

[DDFergy]

Calvinism is man's attempt to not take responsibility and to blame God for everything. "You made me this way so it's your fault God", is the Calvinist's declaration. Yet when confronted with the obvious Truth of their belief they attempt logic and reason contortions or say one is misrepresenting them.

Using their logic a Calvinist can declare they are elect by God's decree and if you disagree with them then you are condemned by God's decree. No understanding of scripture or logic and reason necessary.

[jordandthornburg]

Indeed. It’s our universal understanding that we do have that belief.

[ProclaimeroftheGospelofJesus]

Good observation Brother Leighton. I asked Matt Slick if the fact that God knew their hearts, had anything to do with the gospel being hidden.

I believe satan caused doubt when they misunderstood, and steals the seed.

Believing you are predestined rather than fore known, is the greatest error of calvinism.

I can believe i can do and know good and evil, and still be corrupt, but not totally depraved., that i can’t hope for salvation.

Removing hope in God because of total depravity, leads to this false reformed teachings.

[MadebyKourmoulis]

Your favoritism comment doesn't hold up in calvinism. I've had this conversation several times and the answer that's always given is, God does show favoritism but not in the same manner humans do. He doesn't favor based off wealth or status or race he favors off some other metric.

The typical that verse doesn't mean what it says response.

[BEABEREAN]

If you being evil (sinful by nature) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more would your heavenly father (in your sinful state) give good gifts to those that ask! matt 7:11

This verse just rang in my heart after listening to this video. He's waiting for us to ask of him, not forcing us.

[shuai]

Thank you Lord for ordaining me to be a “better“ elect person then all those semi Pelagian- pelagians (whom you also ordained)!

[joshuaandersen]

Mr. Flowers, respectfully, you're constantly strawman-ing calvinist doctrines and then try to exegete with these strawmans and make conclusions that no orthodox Calvinist would ever make.

[redbearwarrior]

Serious question. I'm really asking because I'm not very familiar with Provisionism and how it compares to Arminianism. On Provisionism is YHWH capable of revealing to a Christian where they are mistaken regarding theological beliefs? And if He is capable then why does He not do so? Could the Calvinist say that if YHWH is capable of such revelation and yet chooses not to reveal to the Christian where he is mistaken that YHWH has decreed for him to be mistaken?